The Social Dimension of Climate Change
University of Zurich
Course Overview:
Climate change is not just an environmental crisis: it is deeply embedded in social structures and dyamics. This course examines the complex interactions between climate change and human societies, focusing on its causes, consequences, and responses at both local and global levels. Students will analyse climate-induced migration, health disparities, and the unequal distribution of environmental risks. Further, they will explore the political and cultural narratives shaping climate action, including debates on climate justice and responses from communities, policymakers, and international organizations. The course adopts a global and comparative perspective, with a strong emphasis on the Global South and the disproportionate environmental burdens faced by vulnerable populations.
Intended Learning Outcomes:
Climate change is not just an environmental crisis: it is deeply embedded in social structures and dyamics. This course examines the complex interactions between climate change and human societies, focusing on its causes, consequences, and responses at both local and global levels. Students will analyse climate-induced migration, health disparities, and the unequal distribution of environmental risks. Further, they will explore the political and cultural narratives shaping climate action, including debates on climate justice and responses from communities, policymakers, and international organizations. The course adopts a global and comparative perspective, with a strong emphasis on the Global South and the disproportionate environmental burdens faced by vulnerable populations.
Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Understand how climate change interacts with social, political, and economic systems.
- Analyse the social and demographic impacts of climate change, in domains such as migration, economic inequality, and public health.
- Critically engage with climate justice debates and policies at local and global levels.
- Develop critical thinking skills to assess climate action initiatives and environmental justice discussions.