Values and the Environment (U03228)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : GEO-3-VALUES

This course examines issues related to two important modes of human valuing of nature, the ethical and the aesthetic. The first part of the course covers key concepts and theories in environmental ethics including (normally): anthropocentrism and nonanthropocentrism; animal ethics; Leopold's land ethic; deep ecology; and recent attempts to develop an urban environmental ethic. In the second part, we examine aesthetic and landscape values in our engagement with wild nature, rural environments and other cultural landscapes. The course concludes with a look at conflicts between aesthetic, ethical and other values as they arise in environmental conservation and policy, including cases of ecological restoration. Case studies are used throughout the course to reflect on how values are embodied in practice.

Entry Requirements

none

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Geography, (School of GeoSciences, Schedule N)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 2 (Blocks 3-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 10 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
08/01/2008	11:10	13:00	Room 2.19, Old Infirmary (Geography)	Central

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Tuesday	11:10	13:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

- a critical understanding of key concepts and theories in environmental ethics
- a grasp of how aesthetic value relates to a range of environments, from the wild to the urban
- an understanding of the role of values in engagement with a range of environments and the conflicts that arise between values in conservation and policy-making
- expression of the student's own critical thinking on environmental values in discussion and in writing