Environmental Studies

This course introduces advanced economic concepts relevant for analyzing problems and policies relating to the environment, natural resources, and climate change using theories and analytical tools from microeconomics and macroeconomics. Additionally, the course introduces optimal control theory, which is applied to various problems within environmental and resource economics.

Students are introduced to environmental sociology with a focus on the interactions between human societies and the natural environment. By focusing on this two-way interaction, the course examines key theoretical perspectives, debates, and issues within environmental sociology. The course considers interdisciplinary perspectives examining a range of topics such as environmental inequality, sustainability, public attitudes towards climate change, renewable energy, consumption, pollution, environmental social movements, climate-induced migration, green crime and transformation to "green societies."  These issues are examined at multiple levels, including rural and urban, local, and global, and from different perspectives of key stakeholders. 

This course consists of two parts. One class segment will be devoted to international/global environmental politics, with the core concern of achieving collective action that will lead to the betterment of the environment. After learning about a fundamental conceptual framework to approach environmental politics, the course looks at various global issues, such as an ever-widening gap between rich and poor nations; world population growth; food issues, and energy. The course then focuses on the politics of various international/global environmental problems. The course will present class discussions on real international/global environmental probleams to deepen one’s understanding of the nature of the problems.  

The second segment of the course is distance learning or e-learning. The theme for this year is, “Climate Science and Solutions”(but this is subject to change). The program will be coordinated by the Asia Pacific Initiative (API) of Hawaii University and Osaka University, and involves other universities: Ryukyu University, Tsukuba University, and National University of Samoa. 

This course covers the main trends in environmental management in industry. Students explore the central concepts in environmental management, such as pollution prevention, environmental management systems, life-cycle management, environmental management strategies, industrial ecology, and circular economy. They learn selected theories and models concerning environmental management, in particular the four-stage model of environmental strategy, models of Corporate Social Responsibility, the organization theory of Mintzberg, and ecological modernization theory. In addition to explaining these concepts and theories, the course provides practice-oriented training based on case studies. Although the course primarily deals with industrial organizations, most of its contents also apply to other types of organizations.

This course provides a sociological perspective on economic, social, and political processes, focusing especially on global social change and sustainable development. Students acquire the knowledge required to understand and critically examine the discussions pursued about the global social change that marks modernity, focusing especially on the post-war period. The course includes four modules, this is the fourth module: Social Sciences Methods. The module focuses on social sciences methods and aims to provide basic knowledge of statistical analysis and awareness of different methods of qualitative analysis. Furthermore, emphasis is placed on the operationalization of issues and the testing of different theories based on the course content.

This series of creative workshops explores environment, climate crisis, and more-than-human/human interdependence by composing multimodal texts in response to recent Copenhagen University and international research. A background in natural sciences is not required but the course necessitates a curiosity and willingness to experiment creatively with the environmental knowledge gained thanks to independent study, classroom exchanges, field trips, and guests (scientists, activists, and artists). These creative collaborations rethink such concepts as "nature," "sustainability," and "care" by reading, listening to, and watching a variety of academic, literary, and artistic texts. The course combine science, emotion, and creative expression not only to describe environmental loss, grief, and vulnerability but also to celebrate the Earth and diversity. It encourages appreciation of the complexity of ecological processes and interactions through an individual project that investigates an environmental subject and experiments with diverse forms of communicating it to varied audiences. The course produces research-based, hybrid, multimodal works-in-progress (which may develop beyond the course) which become forms of green thinking, slow art, activism and stewardship.

This course explores the interdependencies between natural systems and human disease in a time of rapid environmental change. Acknowledging diverse and changing perspectives on health and the environment across history and cultures, students are introduced to emerging concepts and issues in this field, fundamental approaches to assess evidence for causal relationships between environment and disease as well as begin to develop an understanding of the complex socioecological systems within which remedial action can be taken.

This course engages real-world cases of resource competition such as conflicts around land, water, green grabbing, mining, or infrastructure development. It analyses the dynamics of contention in these cases, identifying patterns of power and exclusion, and designing pathways for constructive engagement. Cases are developed together with governmental and non-governmental organizations, who are also involved in assessing the proposed pathways. It is strongly recommended (but not obligatory) that students take the course “Resource competition worldwide: Issues and perspectives” (SDC52806) given in Period 1.

This course explores the main concepts and principles of international environmental law. It looks at how international environmental law has emerged and developed, in particular by emphasizing the role and contribution of international courts and tribunals. The course also deals specifically with the legal regimes that have been shaped in order to preserve the global environment in different fields (climate change, biodiversity, desertification, water, ozone, chemical products, air pollution, genetically modified organisms, nanotechnologies). With the emergence of the concept of sustainable development, international environmental law is now at the crossroads of different regimes. In this context, the course analyzes the relationship between international environmental law and international trade (and/or investment) law as well as the relationship between international environmental law and human rights.