Module Identifier GG36420  
Module Title THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL RISK  
Academic Year 2003/2004  
Co-ordinator Dr Deborah P Dixon  
Semester Semester 2  
Other staff Dr Deborah P Dixon  
Course delivery Lecture   22 Hours 11 x 2 hour lectures  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours Written Seen Examination  50%
Semester Assessment Coursework Essay 3000 words  50%
Supplementary Exam2 Hours Written Unseen Examination  50%
Supplementary Assessment Coursework Essay 3000 words. Resit for a condoned (medical grounds) non-completion of examination or coursework involves the completion of the missing component(s) for the full-range of marks on dates set in the Supplementary Examination period. Resit due to aggregate failure or non-completion of part of the assessment requires re-examination of each component if marks of <40% in both were obtained, or re-examination or re-submission of the failed component (examination of assignment(s) to obtain a maximum mark of 40% for the module). For the examination this will take the form of a 2 hour unseen examination. For the coursework essay it will involve the resubmission of the essay (with revisions if appropriate).50%

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module, students should be able to:

1. Identify, refer to, and critically evaluate a range of interdisciplinary literature on the social construction of risk

2. Demonstrate an awareness of the key research questions and methods utilized by Geographers in regard to risk

3. Develop their own case studies illustrating key theoretical concepts used in class

4. Further develop their critical thought, writing and presentation skills

Brief description

In this module, we address the origins and current concerns of the 'science wars', paying particular attention to the emergence of social constructionism as a theoretical approach to the study fo knowledge. Next, we turn to the hazards and risk subfield within Geography, noting how this area has relied on a very specific (positivist) research agenda and associated methods of data collection and analysis. With this grounding in place, we can assss how research into 'natural' and 'human' hazards has traditionally been carried out, and how it is currently being impacted by social constructionism. In doing so, we will look at how our understanding of hazard research has been transformed via a constructionist emphasis on discourse, as well as the identification of new forms of hazard such as biotechnologies. Throughout the module we will use a wide range of case studies to assess how hazards have been differentially understood and investigated.

Content

Introduction to the module: the expanding field of inquiry

Reading Lists

Books
** Essential Reading
Blaikie, Piers et al (1994) At Risk: natural hazards, people's vulnerability and disasters Routledge: London and New York
Castree, Noel and Braun, Bruce (1998) Nature at the Millennium Routledge: London
Hacking, Ian (1999) The Social Construction of What Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Mass
Haraway, Donna (1991) Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The reinvention of nature Routledge: New York
Kuhn, Thomas (1962) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions University of Chicago Press: Chicago
Latour, Bruno and Woolgar, Steve (1986) Laboratory Life: The social construction of scientific facts Princeton University Press: Princeton
Levidow, Les (ed) (1986) Radical Science Free Association Press: London
Peet, R. and Watts, M (1996) Liberation Ecologies: environment, development, social movements Routledge: London
Sokal, Alan D. and Bricmont, Jean (1998) Intellectual Impostures Profile Books: London
Wolpert, Lewis (1993) The Unnatural Nature of Science Faber: London

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6