EDS351 Ecological Economics and Degrowth
Credits (ECTS):10
Course responsible:Erik Nicolas Gomez Baggethun, Guri Bang
Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås
Teaching language:Engelsk
Course frequency:Annually.
Nominal workload:Participation in lectures (2hx14=24h), seminars (2hx6=12h), workshops (hx2=8h) =56h; independent work (preparations for lectures + writing of term paper): 194 hours. Sum: 250h
Teaching and exam period:Autumn parallell
About this course
Learning outcome
After following the course, students should have a reached understanding of:
- Core concepts and frameworks in ecological economics and degrowth
- Environmental limits and biophysical dimensions in economic analysis
- Basic material needs and human wants
- Relations between growth and different sustainability indicators
- Theories and trends on (de)coupling and (de)materialization of the economy
- Methods in environmental accounting and social metabolism
- Methods and tools in social, ecological and economic valuation
- Dynamics in sustainable natural resource and waste management
- Regulatory tools and economic instruments for environmental protection
- Basic notions in environmental policy and governance
- Basic understanding of key issues in macroecological economics
- Key notions around sustainable economic welfare
- Lectures, seminars, group discussions, group work
- Bachelor degree
- The course is adapted to the background of the students enrolled in the M-IES and MIDS programs, but will also be suitable for NMBU students enrolled in economics and various interdisciplinary programs. The course is interdisciplinary. Basic knowledge in environmental sciences, economics, ecology and political science will allow optimal following of the course contents.
Written assignment/oral presentation in ENGLISH.
Contribution in class and seminars counts 20%, Written assignment counts 80%.
One final grade (A-F) is provided at the end of the term.
Portfolio Grading: Letter grades- Written assignments will be marked by the course teachers/lecturers. An external examiner will quality check the curse content and the evaluation system.
- Attendance to some classes and all seminars is compulsory. Participation in the group assignment and related seminars and supervisions is obligatory. All students must also attend the final wrap up session where the course is evaluated by the students. Absence from mandatory activities without previous notice and justified/documented reason (e.g. health related) will result in the loss of the student’s right to take the exam and be evaluated.