Program Overview

Environmental Policy, Governance and Social Justice

Introduction

To make just and sustainable decisions for the environment and our wellbeing, we must learn to see how politics, social behaviour, and business economics can both cause and improve issues. Demand for products and services can lead to problems such as pollution, slave labour and workers' rights, and Indigenous land disputes.

In this subject, you will examine global sustainability and social equity issues and learn how to respond with actionable change to communities and businesses.

What will my study involve?

• Connect your study to real-world problems through field studies and an internship.
• Build upon UC's sustainability goals and use our local and international connections with industry.
• Courses include a range of areas like political science and law, philosophy and ethics, economics, social enterprise, sociology, and psychology so you can follow your interests in particular issues.
• Engage with ideas of mātauranga Māori (knowledge), Pacific history, decolonisation, and tino rangatiratanga (authority).

Courses

Environmental Policy, Governance and Social Justice major

For the major in the Bachelor of Social and Environmental Sustainability, complete the following courses:

• 100-level
  • POLS103 Introduction to New Zealand Politics and Policy
  • One course chosen from these options
• 200-level
  • POLS206 Introduction to Public Policy and Policy Analysis
  • Two courses chosen from these options
• 300-level
  • POLS304 Environmental Politics and Policy
  • 30 points of courses chosen from these options

Career opportunities

Learning about sustainability from a policy and social justice point of view teaches you how to critically analyse systems and enact social change that is inclusive of other cultures, communities, and businesses.

Career pathways could include:

• policy and advisory
• non-profit sector
• marketing, communications, and events
• business operations management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Social and Environmental Sustainability

Related subjects

Choose an area that you are interested in and learn how UC's range of study options can let you study what you want to.

• Law
• Political Science and International Relations