Bachelor
2024/2025
Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development
Type:
Elective course
Area of studies:
International Relations
Delivered by:
Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs
When:
4 year, 3 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of one campus
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
4
Course Syllabus
Abstract
Environmental protection and regulations lead to sustainable development. This course explains technical methods, environmental policies, and regulations. It explores how they connect for effective environmental protection. After the course, students will understand the influence of the environment on population. They will also grasp the link between protecting the environment and population growth. Also, students will apply their skills to solve basic tasks in management.
Learning Objectives
- 1. Give an overview of the current environmental policies at international, national, and corporate levels, using case studies and real-world examples. 2. Provide insights into international frameworks, carbon markets, and corporate strategies for fostering sustainability and reducing environmental impact. 3. Highlight the importance of human rights and a special role of indigenous peoples in preserving the environment. 4. Build skills in sustainability reporting, policy design, and the evaluation of corporate ESG performance metrics.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Give an overview of the current environmental policies at international, national, and corporate levels, using case studies and real-world examples.
- Provide insights into international frameworks, carbon markets, and corporate strategies for fostering sustainability and reducing environmental impact.
- Highlight the importance of human rights and a special role of indigenous peoples in preserving the environment
- Build skills in sustainability reporting, policy design, and the evaluation of corporate ESG performance metrics.
Course Contents
- Lecture 1 and Lecture 2. Introduction to sustainable development
- Lecture 3. International Climate Policy
- Seminar 1. Sustainable development at the international and corporate levels
- Lecture 4. Climate Policy at the Country Level
- Seminar 2. International Climate Change Policy
- Lecture 5. Climate Agenda in Corporations
- Seminar 3. Climate policy on Country Level
- Lecture 6. Biodiversity and Water Issues
- Seminar 4. Climate Policy on Corporate Level
- Lecture 7. Human Rights and Environmental Sustainability
- Seminar 5. Biodiversity and Water Issues
- Lecture 8. International Carbon Markets
- Seminar 6. Human Rights and Environmental Sustainability
- Lecture 9. Sustainable Financing
- Seminar 7. International Carbon Markets
- Lecture 10. ESG Ratings and Corporate Sustainability Reporting
- Seminar 8. Sustainable Financing
- Seminar 9 and Seminar 10. Corporate Ratings and Sustainability Metrics. Policy briefs’ presentations
Assessment Elements
- Active participationActive participation in class is essential as the learning process will be richest as more people become involved in the conversation and debate. By the end of every seminar the point will be given to each student who attended and contributed to the discussion in the following format: 1– if a student attended the class without active participation (passive learning); 2 – if a student attended a class and answered only once or twice, but with minor mistakes; 3 – if a student attended a class, answered on several occasions (structurally, with arguments) without mistakes based on materials provided for the seminar; 4 – if a student attended a class, answered on several occasions (structurally, with arguments) without mistakes and added extra information from the sources not listed in seminar's reading list. By the end of the course the instructor will provide a final mark for the seminar's participation calculated as an average mark for all the seminars.
- Policy briefIn the middle of the course, students will be asked to prepare a group project in a policy brief style (about 1.5-2 thousand words with spaces). For this assignment, students will be given a set of cases in the field of climate and environmental policy on corporate, country and international level. They have to choose one topic and craft a concise document that includes a clear problem statement, evidence-based argumentation, and actionable recommendations. The brief should begin with an introduction to the issue, followed by a logical analysis supported by data and relevant frameworks, and conclude with practical solutions. In addition, students have to prepare a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation summarizing the methodology, key arguments, and conclusions. The presentation should include slides on the problem overview, methodology, main arguments, and recommendations. Both the policy brief and the presentation slides must be submitted by the penultimate class of the 3rd module
- Analysis of corporate ESG-reportDuring one of the seminars, each student will choose a company from a given list and analyze its ESG-report based on its disclosure and performance in environmental, social, and governance fields. The task is to find metrics from the most notable sustainability disclosure standards in corporate non-financial reports and assess the level of their disclosure. This kind of work is practical in the sense that it is done in real-world by those who prepare such reports (either within a company or from the consulting firm’s side), by analysts in ESG ratings as well as by agencies, which carry out external assurance of non-financial information. Indicators are provided in an Excel-sheet to be filled in within a given time-period. Climate-specific and other environmental indicators will constitute the majority of the list, however social-related ones are also of an importance
- Final examThere will be an obligatory oral exam taken on the exam week in March. One month before the final exam date, the instructor will provide a list of 20 questions covering the course content. During the exam, each student will be assigned two questions and will have 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to respond. The instructor may ask additional follow-up questions related to other course topics if necessary.
Interim Assessment
- 2024/2025 3rd module0.25 * Active participation + 0.1 * Analysis of corporate ESG-report + 0.4 * Final exam + 0.25 * Policy brief
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- A. Bellver-Domingo, & F. Hernández-Sancho. (2018). Environmental Benefit of Improving Wastewater Quality: A Shadow Prices Approach for Sensitive Areas. Water Economics and Policy (WEP), (02), 1. https://doi.org/10.1142/S2382624X17500084
- Climate change and sustainable development : global perspective, , 2017
- Climate change and water resources, Rosales, J., 2019
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- An introduction to sustainable development, Elliott, J. A., 2013
- Corporate social responsibility : the role of business in sustainable development, Williams, O. F., 2014