Subject Area: Environmental Studies
This course can also be studied in the following specialisation: History & Philosophy of Science

How do environmental controversies start, intensify, get resolved and then close? (Or maybe these modern-day conflicts are more complex than this.)
This course examines the nature of Australian environmental problems with particular emphasis on controversies about environmental impacts and risks. The course explores areas of intense public debate, including climate and energy, toxic chemicals and waste, forest and wilderness issues, nuclear industry and mining, agricultural impacts and coastal and urban development. Such areas of conflict are explored through group case study projects which dominate the second half of the course, offering an opportunity for independent research and 'on the ground' experience of environmental matters. The course draws on multi-disciplinary frameworks for assessing the social, historical and political aspects of environmental controversies, with insights from politics and policy studies, sociology, history and philosophy of science, and scientific and technical studies.