Sustainability and Environmental Ethics

This subject is not offered in 2014.

120 Hours

Admission into 102EU Master of Arts in Professional and Applied Ethics or MC-IR Masters in International Relations or another Masters by Coursework programme at the University of Melbourne with coordinator approval. Exceptions may be made for students at honours level, who may enrol with the approval of both their discipline coordinator and the subject coordinator.

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

The impact of human beings on the environment is naturally a cause for moral concern. This subject will aim to establish the motivations for this concern and explore its many implications. Do non-human animals and the biosphere have non-instrumental value? How exactly should we understand our moral obligations to future people? And how should the costs of reducing anthropogenic climate change be distributed? In addition, this subject will examine the obstacles encountered in devising environmental policy. For example, which industrial interests stand in the way of progressive change and in what way should policy making be wary of this? To address climate change, is it necessary to radically reform economies and redesign cities, and what ethical concerns become salient when doing so?

Students who complete this subject will:

• Understand philosophical treatments of our moral obligations to preserve the environment
• Understand important conceptual distinctions between different ways in which the environment has value.
• Appreciate the difficulties associated with weighing environmental obligations against competing obligations and permissions.
• Understand the moral significance of the difference between individual and collective action.
• Be able to critically assess proposals for realising sustainability and environmental protection when formulating public policy.

A 1,000 word critical review of a week’s readings due at the end of week 3 (20%) and a 4,000 word research essay due during the examination period (80%).

Hurdle Requirement: Students are required to attend a minimum of 75% of classes in order to pass this subject. Regular participation in class is required. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 2% per working day. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

Subject readings will be available online

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On successful completion of this subject, students will have:

• Understood how philosophical work clarifies the way in which the environment has moral importance and how such understanding helps identify relevant moral obligations.
• Gained an ability to approach the task of weighing environmental concerns against competing moral demands.
• Gained an exposure to interdisciplinary research.
• Enhanced their research, writing and communication skills.