Environment and Development MSc

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This module is taken by all master's students. This is a piece of research carried out with one-to-one supervision from either a member of LEC staff or one of our research partner organisations or sometimes both. Students can choose their own project (subject to agreement), choose a project from a list published by the department, or can apply for a project in conjunction with an external company.

The aim of this module is to provide students with a theoretical foundation for the study of development and the environment from a geographical perspective. Students will focus on understanding the ways in which scholars have brought together development theory alongside the analysis of nature-society relations in the developing world.

This module provides students with a critical understanding of the evolution of contemporary development discourses and new ways of thinking about the relationship between environment and development. Key topics of discussion include theories of development, indigenous knowledge and development, biotechnology and food security, and the political economy of natural resources.

Ultimately, this module will enhance student’s academic skills to develop reasoned arguments through the analysis, interpretation and critical appraisal of complex evidence, with a module designed to deepen student’s understanding between theory and practice.

The module aims to train students to Master's level in guided, but self-determined research planning. For the the subject area of their research project, they will have: familiarity with the broader and specific literature;researched appropriate methodologies; developed a research plan; presented the findings in poster and written formats.

This module introduces cutting-edge theoretical approaches, geographies and themes of political ecology, addressing the most relevant and pressing questions facing our planet. Students will learn about complex environmental issues, critique the status quo, and drive transformative action through a political ecology lens.

The topic will be explored through conceptual methods, using feminist, decolonial, and materialist approaches, and applied to a range of global geographies. This will enable students to consolidate their understanding of how the global environment operates across difference spaces and scales using political ecology theories, with an opportunity to apply conceptual tools through interactive workshops.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to apply critical thinking and theory to real-world problems using their knowledge of the key challenges facing environmental crises. Students will be able to analyse and solve complex environmental issues with novel, independent perspectives, and evaluate evidence to develop original arguments.

This module focuses on the fate and behaviour of contamiNAts in the environment, considering fundamental principles and processes which control their fate in environment systems. You will gain and understanding of the fundamental principles relating to the fate and behaviour of contamiNAts in environmental media for scientists with relevant degrees.

After an introduction to the importance and timeliness of civilisation - as both concept and reality - and 'ecological civilisation' in particular, the course will proceed to explore, first, multiple definitions and dimensions of civilisation and, secondly, various accounts of the dynamics of civilisation(s). The first part of the course will thus include consideration of both material and ideational aspects of civilisation, as well as it normative 'light' and 'dark' sides,and issues of the 'more-than-cognitive' that particularly speak to a concern for ‘civilisation’ (vs., say, terms relating to modern social science disciplines such as ‘society’, ‘economy’, ‘polity’). The second part of the course will explore evidence regarding the rise and fall of civilisation(s) and what may be learned regarding ‘where we are today' in trajectories of civilisation and what we could do in response.

*Please note this module will not run in 2022/23*

Catchments are increasingly perceived as complex and highly interconnected systems. This presents significant difficulties for those who manage catchments, but also a range of novel and timely research opportunities. In this context, the module aims to provide you with understanding and practical experience of key research and management challenges facing the future management of catchments. The module will take the Eden catchment as a case study, and draw on the latest land and water management framework, derived from the Water Framework Directive, as a basis for discussion. After analysing this framework and identifying significant challenges, you will use a combination of field, laboratory and data analysis techniques to investigate research questions related to biophysical processes within catchments. These investigations will lead to an appreciation of the limits to current knowledge and the opportunities for future research.

This module aims to explore and reconfigure the ways in which climate change is understood through a focus on the social, rather than the scientific-environmental discourses that have dominated the policy and politics of climate change. This module give you a wide-ranging and intensive introduction to the politics, cultures and theories of climate change research in the social sciences and humanities. You will be able to critically evaluate different theoretical perspectives on a range of climate change debates and present alternative arguments.

The course aims to explore a variety of approaches to conflict management in contemporary conflicts, by third parties and parties in conflict, and critically assesses their effectiveness and potential. The course draws its theoretical foundations from peace and conflict research but is aimed at enabling students to learn to assess the scope for conflict management and peace-building in practice. The module includes both academic literature as well as policy relevant papers.

The focus of the course is on analysing peace processes and practical problems of conflict prevention, conflict management and peace-building in a range of contemporary international, internal, ethnic, community and environmental conflicts.

Students will be divided up into groups of two or three, and each group will take responsibility for identifying and investigating a specific approach to conflict management in a conflict of their choice. The choice of cases will vary with the interest of students. In recent year topics included Afghanistan, Chechnya, Georgia, Kashmir, Kosovo, Macedonia, Northern Ireland, Liberia/Sierra Leone, Timor Elste, conflict prevention and the emergent global climate change negotiations, and peace-building in contemporary Africa and Asia.

The course is taught in 10 2-hour lecture seminars, with the first half devoted to the lecture and the second half dedicated to substantial presentations by the student / group.

Select Bibliography:

Barash, David P. & Webel, Charles P. (2008) Peace and Conflict Studies, London: Sage.Darby J & Mac Ginty, R, Contemporary Peacemaking (Palgrave Macmillan, 2002)Eriksen, T. H., Ethnicity and Nationalism (Zed, 2010).Kaldor, M., New & Old Wars (Polity Press, 2006) Lyons, T. (2008) Conflict Management and African Conflicts – Ripeness, Bargaining and Mediation, London: Routledge, 2008)Misra, A. Afghanistan: The Labyrinth of Violence (Polity, 2004).Misra A., Politics of Civil Wars (Routledge 2008)Paris, R., At War’s End (Cambridge Univ. Press. 2005)Ramsbotham, O, Woodhouse T. & Miall, H, Contemporary Conflict Resolution – 3rd edition (Blackwell's, 2010)Rupesinghe, K, Civil Wars, Civil Peace (Pluto Press, 1998)Zartman, I.W., Peacemaking in International Conflict (USIP, 2005)European Centre for Conflict Prevention, People Building Peace (1999)Wallensteen, P., Understanding Conflict Resolution (Sage, 2006)

The module examines the problems posed by human co-existence, specifically with regard to divergent understandings of how we should live and how we should see or describe ourselves. Typically this module begins by examining the notion of cultural conflict and highlighting the cultural aspects of historical and contemporary disputes. This can lead into a discussion of the history of toleration as a response to cultural conflict, highlighting historical sources of toleration and co-existence in a range of different areas and regions. Building on this notion of traditions of toleration, we offer the opportunity to examine and problematize the shift in conceptions of toleration, away from the notion of toleration as inaction in the face of vehement objection towards the notion of toleration as acceptance or affirmation.

From this theoretical base we lead into the applied element of the module, in which some topical case studies are examined. In the past, these have included:

This module revolves around different aspects of Asian Security and looks at some of Asia’s trouble spots. The module will also examine the politics of intervention in these conflicts, and the attempts made to manage and prevent conflicts, and transform these conflict zones into more peaceful situations. The case studies that this module looks at include Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China.

We aim to provide you with an in-depth knowledge of the different facets of contemporary Asian conflicts and how international organisations and Western and Asian governments have attempted to deal with these challenges in recent times. Conceptually, the module seeks to examine the principles of state failure; terrorism, ‘New Wars’, the New Security Agenda, nationalism and sub nationalism, international conflict prevention; peace keeping; and global goverNAce. We also cover topics like the rise of Islamism and Hindu nationalism in contemporary South Asia. This module aims to provide you with an overview of the key security concerns of South-Central Asia.

This module focuses on key challenges facing the conservation of biodiversity today. We examine trade-offs between conservation goals and human desires, and wellbeing. The module highlights emerging understanding of the complex relationships between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human life.

Students will be engaged with specific examples of how conservation science is changing to address social-economic-ecological conflicts. They are encouraged to critically analyse literature on topical issues confronting biodiversity conservation. By doing so, they will gain an understanding of the factors that constrain conservation aims, and of the need for interdisciplinary approaches to conserve biodiversity in the real world.

Those who take this module will develop an understanding of how conservation has changed, and be able to define criteria to identify species and ecosystems of high conservation importance. They will also learn how conflicts between social, economic and ecological objectives can be understood and addressed in partnerships.

This module will provide you with a broad view of issues related to contaminated land, in particular: typical contamination problems; methodologies for assessing the extent and seriousness of contamination; and the applicability and effectiveness of remediation techniques as a function of contamiNAt and site conditions.

The legislation pertaining to and the processes used to assess the risk associated with contaminated land will be appraised, as will risk-based approaches to contaminated land assessment in general. The fate and behaviour of contamiNAts in the environment will also be examined. Students will gain knowledge in these matters via the risk assessment and remediation case studies.

An awareness of the scale of contaminated land in the UK will be acquired, and students will gain the ability to scientifically discuss the processes which control the behaviour of chemicals in soil.

This module will introduce students to concepts and legal issues related to upholding sustainable development in the context of corporate goverNAce. In addition to elements related to established concepts regarding the consideration of wider environmental and social considerations in business, such as corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investing, the module will consider theories and legal concepts related to corporate goverNAce, and the means by which they reflect on promoting the facilitation of sustainable development. This includes, among others, the UNs Sustainable Development Goals, the EUs pledge to ensuring the internal market's sustainable development, and the regulation of corporate goverNAce on non-fiNAcial issues in the UK.

This module focuses on data processing and visualisation to support dissertation work, and will provide students with advanced scientific numeracy skills. It includes introductory elements of MATLAB and Simulink, the industry standard for programming language, and students will learn to design, modify, run and debug simple MATLAB programs. They will be able to adapt the skills learnt to other programming languages such as Fortran and C.

Students will be taught the main programming elements, such as data input, processing, output in numerical and graphical forms, programming tools and structures (loops, conditional statements and other flow control).The module also introduces selected principles of dynamic systems analysis such as transfer functions applied to environmental systems in the form of examples and case studies.

Coursework will include writing brief MATLAB scripts based on the scripts used during workshops, as well as an essay on selected problems of environmental systems modelling linked with these scripts. Tests will be taken which will involve writing code snippets related to simple numerical and graphical problems.

Current approaches to cutting-edge research in the environmental sciences are highly dependent on digital data, and a wide variety of different data types can now be accessed relatively easily. You only need to consider the data required to understand climate change to appreciate the diversity of information that is currently available, and which is needed to address the biggest global issues.

In this module you will learn the fundamentals of retrieving, annotating, analysing and interpreting digital data from a variety of sources, applying integrated, scientific methodologies. You will develop data manipulation skills and an awareness of the tools available to maximise the value of heterogeneous digital data. We demonstrate everyday problems in data collection, both avoidable and unavoidable, and explore techniques that minimise their impact. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of current software for data mining and visualisation, and you will get hands-on experience of data integration using spreadsheet, database and GIS technologies.

This module provides a grounding in statistics and data analysis for non-mathematicians, by starting with the basics then developing the skills required to successfully analyse data generated through dissertation projects.

Students will familiarise themselves with the open-source statistical package 'R' for analysis. The materials covered include describing data, producing figures, comparing differences between groups, correlation and associations, regression analysis and experimental design.

The module also provides a brief overview of methods beyond the module to provide awareness and a direction for further progress.

*This is a distance learning module and not taught on Campus*

This module will give students the opportunity to explore the state-of-the-art in political ecology by engaging with political ecologists in weekly seminars involving the authors of key readings. Topically organised around environmental phenomenon, students will have the opportunity to communicate with authors of recent articles from LEC, the wider UK political ecology community, and around the world in a combination of in-person and virtual seminars. The module will internationalise the MA Political Ecology experience while fostering links with the wider department.

Students will understand environmental and social problems across world regions, types of environments, and conflicts over nature. The module equips students with key methodologies that political ecologists use to analyse the causes and responses to environmental crises, allowing students to identify areas that require further study.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to demonstrate their understanding of contemporary political ecology using key critical analysis skills and gaining hands on experience working with academics in a professional setting.

Students will gain a critical understanding of key concepts, principles, tools and techniques for the management of natural resources and the environment. Particular attention is given to the challenges of dealing with complexity, change, uncertainty and conflict in the environment, and to the different management approaches which can be deployed in ‘turbulent’ conditions.

Contemporary environmental problems will be examined and interpreted from both an academic and policy perspective. In order to do this effectively, students will learn to evaluate and critique arguments and evidence related to environmental problems, and will demonstrate advanced understanding of alternative management concepts through constructive debate.

This module will provide an introduction to Environment Impact Assessments (EIAs), Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) and their legislative context in the United Kingdom and the European Union, placed into the broader context of international policy development. It will cover aspects of Schedule 1 projects that always require an EIA, such as waste incinerators and major road schemes, and Schedule 2 projects which sometimes require an EIA, such as wastewater treatment plants, quarries and dairies.

The syllabus will include essential elements and procedures contained within EIAs including screening, scoping, assessment and evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives, reporting through an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), review of the EIS, decision making, monitoring, compliance and auditing.

How have the principles of environmental law developed? How effective is the environmental law of England and Wales?

Law students and students from Lancaster Environment Centre study side by side on this module. This presents you with a rare interdisciplinary opportunity to share ideas and perspectives between lawyers and scientists. Together, we will explore the sources, principles and effectiveness of environmental law in England and Wales.

Within your studies you will investigate the efficacy and effect of environmental law. Topics analysed include: water pollution, the history of environmental law, green criminology and the protection of the countryside. The module then builds upon this critical analysis to explain how the aqueous, atmospheric and terraneous environments are protected by law.

Environmental law is typically taught by research-active academics who will introduce you to their research into green criminology, access to the countryside, market mechanisms and environmental protection. This research often informs their teaching and you can choose an essay based on these topics or develop your own question with the support of our lecturers.

The focus is to understand the component parts and the interdisciplinary basis of the global food system. To this end, students will examine challenges facing global agricultural production as a result of climate change. They will also gain an understanding of the shortage of key resources for food production and the subsequent issues that affect people’s access to food.

In addition to this, the module will demonstrate how basic plant physiology can inform both plant breeding and agronomy to increase the sustainability of agriculture. The factors impacting food safety and food quality (especially nutritive value) will also be explored.

Ultimately, students will develop a familiarity with several current/impending crises in global food security.

This module introduces students to the fundamental principles of GIS and remote sensing and explores how these complimentary technologies may be used to capture, manipulate, analyse and display different forms of spatially-referenced environmental data. This is a highly vocational module with lectures complimented by computer-based practicals (using state-of-the-art software such as ArcGIS Pro and ENVI) on related themes. At the end of the module students are required to complete a project in which a functioning analytical environmental information system is designed and implemented in order to solve a specific problem.

Taking a broad look at geological hazards, this module will cover everything from contemporary events to those that have shaped the Earth over geological time. The module explores in depth the fundamental processes involved in these events and how and to what extent such events can be predicted. Case histories of national and international disasters will be used to illustrate these hazards, and the inherent risks and potential mitigation measures will be discussed.

A demonstration and elaboration of the geological processes responsible for the occurrence, recurrence and magnitude of hazards will be given. Students will also learn to apply and report on the methods of prediction and mitigation strategies of geological hazards, and will apply simple prediction scenarios of geological hazard occurrence using geological datasets.To this end, students will develop skills in integrating sparse quantitative measurements and qualitative observations in order to derive interpretations from relevant datasets.

The module underscores far-reaching concepts such as using the past to inform the future and environmental risk. It will ultimately