MILANO
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
- Knowledge and understanding skills. The student will master the main issues pertaining to international political theory, with particular reference to the political theory of climate change and migration.
- Application skills. The student will be able to apply the acquired knowledge to analyze the normative and philosophical implications of policy decisions made in the international arena.
- Autonomy of judgment. The student will acquire autonomous critical analysis skills, with reference to the philosophical-normative implications, of international conflicts in the context of the topics covered.
- Argumentation skills. The student will acquire logically rigorous and critical reasoning skills.
Course Prerequisites
None
Teaching Methods
The course will alternate between frontal lectures, presentations by students and seminar lectures. Indeed, the course will involve substantial active participation by students, who will have to discuss concrete cases in class, making use of the conceptual tools provided during the lectures. Equally relevant will be opportunities for debate among students, around the texts analyzed and case studies presented.
Assessment Methods
Open-ended written examination designed to test:
- the knowledge of the course content
- the ability to synthesize and expose them clearly
- the ability to rework the content and develop independent reflection on it
Contents
The course aims to address the main topics of discussion in the philosophical-political field revolving around the problem of climate change and the related, albeit independent, problem of international migration.
More specifically, the course will address the following topics:
[Module I]
- Climate change: causes and consequences on ecosystems and human systems
- Combating climate change: the challenges of mitigation and adaptation
- Climate justice models: between capacity and responsibility
- Climate agreements: conflicting rights?
- From global justice to intergenerational justice (24 hours)
[Module II - adjunct lecturer]
- What progress? Theories of fear and hope.
- Forms of global governance.
- Institutions for climate change: democracy and authoritarianism.
- Comparing paradigms, China and the West.
- Migration: open borders, closed borders and porous borders.
- Resource redistribution in light of climate change: what compensation for vulnerable countries?
The course is intended to be an advanced course in political theory in the international arena, so the program may undergo thematic variations over the years depending on topics deemed relevant.
Online Resources
More information
Bibliography:
1. Biermann, F., Boas, I., Protecting climate refugees. The case for a global protocol. “Environment”, L, 6, 2008;
2. Berchin, I. I., Valduga, I. B., Garcia, J., & De Andrade, J. B. S. O. (2017). Climate change and forced migrations: An effort towards recognizing climate refugees. Geoforum, 84, 147-150
3. Blomfield M. (2015) Climate change and the moral significance of historical injustice in natural resource governance. In C. McKinnon, A. Maltais, The Ethics of Climate Governance, Rowman & Littlefield International: Lanham
4. Caney S. (2014) Climate change, intergenerational equity and the social discount rate. Politics, Philosophy & Economics, Vol. 3, n. 4: pp. 1–23
5. Falkner R. (2016) The Paris Agreement and the new logic of international climate politics. International Affairs, Vol. 92, n. 5: pp. 1107-1125
6. Gardiner S. (2010) A Perfect Moral Storm. Climate Change, Intergenerational Ethics, and the Problem of Corruption. In S. Caney, S. Gardiner, D. Jamieson, H. Shue, Climate Ethics: Essential Readings. Oxford University Press: New York; pp. 87-98
7. Gosseries A. (2023) What is intergenerational justice? OUP
8. Jamieson D. (2013) Jack, Jill, and Jane in a Perfect Moral Storm. Philosophy and Public Issues Vol. 3, n. 1: pp. 37-53
9. Pongiglione F. (2023). Climate change and human rights. In M. Di Paola, G. Pellegrino (eds.) Handbook of the Philosophy of Climate Change, Springer; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16960-2_133-1
10. Singer P. (2010) One Atmosphere. In S. Caney, S. Gardiner, D. Jamieson, H. Shue, Climate Ethics: Essential Readings. Oxford University Press: New York; pp. 181-199
11. Sinnott-Armstrong W. (2005) It’s not my fault: global warming and individual moral obligations. Perspectives on Climate Change: Science, Economics, Politics, Ethics. Advances in the Economics of Environmental Research, Vol. 5: pp. 293–315
12. Vanderheiden S. (2007) Climate change and the challenge of moral responsibility. Journal of Philosophical Research, Vol. 32: pp. 85-92