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Module GEOGRAPHIES OF POLLUTION

Module code: GY319
Credits: 5
Semester: 2
Department: GEOGRAPHY
International: Yes
Overview Overview
 

Pollution is everywhere. Microplastics circulate in the deepest parts of the sea and in the cells of microorganisms; residues of radioactive material released in the 1950s lace the entire surface of the planet; smog produced from rapidly expanding cities slowly kills millions of people every day; billions of pieces of space debris amass just beyond the breathable atmosphere. This is the Anthropocene, a purportedly new geological epoch demarcated by the planetary effects of human activity.
While pollution may be everywhere it does not affect everyone equally. Drawing on the critical traditions of environmental justice, political ecologies of health, and science and technology studies, this module will provide students with a critical understanding of pollution and its uneven effects on bodies and environments. The course will examine: the histories and movements of specific pollutants as they have manifested in particular times and places; how and by whom pollution and toxicity is identified, categorised, and measured and why these forms of expertise are often contested; and how pollution is regulated and managed, and why new perspectives and measures are required to target the systemic causes of pollution.

Open Learning Outcomes
 
Open Teaching & Learning methods
 
Open Assessment
 
Open Autumn Supplementals/Resits
 
Open Timetable
 
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