Teacher(s)
Language
English
Prerequisites
LBIR2050: MOOC on the Challenges of Sustainable Development
Main themes
The aim is to introduce students to the legal aspects of the challenges of sustainable development and transition, in their ecological, economic and social justice dimensions. The aim is to enable students to learn about the role of law in global change and the need to create the conditions for the long-term satisfaction of the needs of current and future generations.
With this in mind, the course aims to offer a critical and decompartmentalised approach to the law, to provide an overview of its role in anchoring the man-nature duality, in the emergence of the concept of sustainable development and in the understanding at international and domestic level of the major themes of transition (energy-climate, food-agriculture, the fight against poverty and inequality, resources, mobility, territories and cities, etc.). The link with fundamental rights and the concepts of environmental and climate justice is also presented. The aim is not to go into detail on these themes, but to show how they are interconnected and to offer a 360° overview from a global and critical perspective.
The course is a direct extension of the MOOC on the Challenges of Sustainable Development offered at UCLouvain, which provides the non-legal foundations of the issue. The proposed course is complementary to several specialised courses on related themes, given as an option or as part of the in-depth minor (general environmental law, town planning law, law and gender, financial market regulations, law and migration, international protection of human rights, law of representative and participatory democracy, etc.) as well as cross-disciplinary courses including the Law of Public Policy course and the Law, Change and Society course, which offers a theoretical and thematic complement on the role of law in society.
Through these developments, the course invites students to take a critical look at the role of the law in the current ecological crisis and in the solutions being found to it, and to understand the importance of an inter- and trans-disciplinary approach to the challenges of sustainable development.
With this in mind, the course aims to offer a critical and decompartmentalised approach to the law, to provide an overview of its role in anchoring the man-nature duality, in the emergence of the concept of sustainable development and in the understanding at international and domestic level of the major themes of transition (energy-climate, food-agriculture, the fight against poverty and inequality, resources, mobility, territories and cities, etc.). The link with fundamental rights and the concepts of environmental and climate justice is also presented. The aim is not to go into detail on these themes, but to show how they are interconnected and to offer a 360° overview from a global and critical perspective.
The course is a direct extension of the MOOC on the Challenges of Sustainable Development offered at UCLouvain, which provides the non-legal foundations of the issue. The proposed course is complementary to several specialised courses on related themes, given as an option or as part of the in-depth minor (general environmental law, town planning law, law and gender, financial market regulations, law and migration, international protection of human rights, law of representative and participatory democracy, etc.) as well as cross-disciplinary courses including the Law of Public Policy course and the Law, Change and Society course, which offers a theoretical and thematic complement on the role of law in society.
Through these developments, the course invites students to take a critical look at the role of the law in the current ecological crisis and in the solutions being found to it, and to understand the importance of an inter- and trans-disciplinary approach to the challenges of sustainable development.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
Understand the legal underpinnings of the current ecological crisis, in its environmental, economic and social dimensions;
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Content
The purpose of the Law and Sustainability course is to introduce students to the legal aspects of sustainable development issues, in terms of their ecological, economic, and social justice dimensions. The aim is to enable students to learn about the role of law both as a normative vehicle for global ecological change and as a framework and instrument for a just transition.
With this in mind, the course aims to offer a critical and open-minded approach to law, providing an overview of its role in anchoring the duality of human and nature, in the emergence of the concept of sustainable development, and in the international and domestic understanding of the major themes of transition (energy-climate, food-agriculture, the fight against poverty and inequality, resources, mobility, territories and cities, etc.). The link with fundamental rights and the concepts of environmental and climate justice is also presented.
The aim is not to go into detail on these issues, but to show how they are interconnected and to offer a 360° overview from a global and critical perspective.
The course is a direct continuation of the MOOC on Sustainable Development Issues taught at UCLouvain, which provides a non-legal foundation for the subject matter. Prior completion of the MOOC is not a formal prerequisite but is strongly recommended for a comprehensive education.
The course complements several specialized courses on related topics, offered as electives or as part of the advanced minor (general environmental law, urban planning law, law and gender, financial market regulations, law and migration, international protection of human rights, law of representative and participatory democracy, etc.) as well as cross-disciplinary courses such as Public Policy Law and Law, Change, and Society, which offers a theoretical and thematic complement to the role of law in society.
Through these developments, the course invites students to take a critical look at the role of law in the current ecological crisis and in the solutions being proposed, and to understand the importance of an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to sustainable development issues.
It aims to address the following themes
By the end of this teaching unit, students will be able to:
With this in mind, the course aims to offer a critical and open-minded approach to law, providing an overview of its role in anchoring the duality of human and nature, in the emergence of the concept of sustainable development, and in the international and domestic understanding of the major themes of transition (energy-climate, food-agriculture, the fight against poverty and inequality, resources, mobility, territories and cities, etc.). The link with fundamental rights and the concepts of environmental and climate justice is also presented.
The aim is not to go into detail on these issues, but to show how they are interconnected and to offer a 360° overview from a global and critical perspective.
The course is a direct continuation of the MOOC on Sustainable Development Issues taught at UCLouvain, which provides a non-legal foundation for the subject matter. Prior completion of the MOOC is not a formal prerequisite but is strongly recommended for a comprehensive education.
The course complements several specialized courses on related topics, offered as electives or as part of the advanced minor (general environmental law, urban planning law, law and gender, financial market regulations, law and migration, international protection of human rights, law of representative and participatory democracy, etc.) as well as cross-disciplinary courses such as Public Policy Law and Law, Change, and Society, which offers a theoretical and thematic complement to the role of law in society.
Through these developments, the course invites students to take a critical look at the role of law in the current ecological crisis and in the solutions being proposed, and to understand the importance of an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to sustainable development issues.
It aims to address the following themes
- Concepts of Anthropocene, planetary boundaries and social foundations
- Anchoring the human-nature duality in law
- Notions of sustainable development and transition in law
- Human rights, rights of nature and sustainability
- Institutions, governance and sustainability
- Cross-cutting themes
- Introduction to the sectoral themes of sustainability:
- Environment: energy, agriculture and food, urban planning, etc.
- Social: the fight against poverty, environmental and climate justice
- Economic: CSR, duty of care, etc.
By the end of this teaching unit, students will be able to:
- Understand the most important legal drivers of the current ecological crisis in its environmental, economic, and social dimensions;
- Become familiar with the most relevant institutions, standards, and court decisions in the various legal systems that form the legal basis for the law's response to this crisis and support the transition process;
- Take a comprehensive and systemic ("360°") view and make interdisciplinary connections (in law) related to the various themes of sustainable development;
- Develop a critical view of institutions and legal systems in terms of their contribution to the current crisis and their potential role in supporting transition to a sustainable and inclusive society.
Teaching methods
The course is structured in modules (two or four hours long) relating to an aspect of sustainable development and transition (corresponding as far as possible to the modules of the MOOC LBIRE2050). Each session consists of a presentation by the course teacher and/or a guest speaker on the content of the module, followed, if time allows it, by a discussion at the end of the module to encourage reflection. The speakers are either academic experts or stakeholders in the issue concerned.
The course is structured in seven modulles, corresponding to the modules of the MOOC BIRE2050:
S1 Introduction to the course – Planetary and social boundaries
S2-S3 Module 1 – The roots of the relationship between humans and nature and the concepts of sustainability, sustainable development and transition
S4-S5 Module 2 – Human well-being – Environmental justice and social equity
S6-S8 Module 3 – Sustainable economy and businesses (+ Test 1 S8)
S9 Module 4 – Food, health, and agriculture (self-learning due to public holiday)
S10-S11 Module 5 – Climate policy and Climate justice
S12 Module 6 – Environmental commons
S13 Module 7 – Living and planning space (+ Test 2)
S14 (week dedicated to the written assignment)
The course is taught in English, except when the law studied is strictly Belgian law.
The course materials are:
The course is structured in seven modulles, corresponding to the modules of the MOOC BIRE2050:
S1 Introduction to the course – Planetary and social boundaries
S2-S3 Module 1 – The roots of the relationship between humans and nature and the concepts of sustainability, sustainable development and transition
S4-S5 Module 2 – Human well-being – Environmental justice and social equity
S6-S8 Module 3 – Sustainable economy and businesses (+ Test 1 S8)
S9 Module 4 – Food, health, and agriculture (self-learning due to public holiday)
S10-S11 Module 5 – Climate policy and Climate justice
S12 Module 6 – Environmental commons
S13 Module 7 – Living and planning space (+ Test 2)
S14 (week dedicated to the written assignment)
In order to ensure the active participation of students, before each session (or module), a few short readings (legal or otherwise) are required in preparation for the session, on the issues covered by the module and/or their legal implications. The readings are part of the continuous assessment (2 multiple-choice tests in S8 and S13).
The course materials are:
- The slides presented during the session (and notes taken during the lecture)
- Readings assigned before the sessions; 1 article or 2-3 blog posts/week (ca. 20 p./week)
- Suggested readings (not in the subject matter for the tests – for further reading).
Evaluation methods
Assessment is continuous, outside examination period, and consists of two parts:
Second session: the student is required to complete a project on a topic different from the one chosen in the first session and to retake a multiple-choice test covering all the material. The project is presented and defended orally during the session before the professor.
- Individual assessment in the form of 2 paper tests (multiple choice or other) on the material covered by the course (slides and key elements of the readings) :
- in S8 (Friday 13h; modules 1 to 3) and S13 (Friday 13h; modules 4 to 6; module 7 is not evaluated)
- This part of the assessment accounts for half of the points; when a student is absent for legitimate and justified reasons, a make-up assessment is organised.
Second session: the student is required to complete a project on a topic different from the one chosen in the first session and to retake a multiple-choice test covering all the material. The project is presented and defended orally during the session before the professor.
Other information
More information about group work can be found on the course's Moodle page.
Faculty or entity
