Environmental Law
- Unit value:
- 1
- Year of study:
- Year 3, Year 3 of 4 or Year 4 of 4
Objectives and learning outcomes of the course
At the end of the course, students should be able to demonstrate:
- Detailed knowledge of the key principles, actors and institutions relevant to environmental law in the domestic and international domains
- An understanding of twenty-first century ‘global’ environmental law within an historical context
- A critical understanding of the concept of the ‘environment’ in law and the ways in which it has changed over time
- An appreciation of the impact that British colonial practices have had on the development of environmental law, with particular reference to Asia and Africa
Scope and syllabus
This course provides a critical introduction to environmental law, within a global and historical context. The autumn term begins with an overview of the relation between international and domestic regimes, as they have evolved since WWII. This is followed by a series of lectures that situate the legal regulation of the environment against a background of changing attitudes in early modern Britain. Particular attention is given to conceptions of ‘humanness’, ‘the environment’ and ‘the animal’, drawing examples from case law and legislation.
The second half of the course examines how these changing attitudes were translated into legal regimes in British colonies. Forests, water, wildlife and common lands were subject to – in some cases wholesale – appropriation by both local and colonial authorities. How did these processes redefine the ways in which people grew and processed their food and engaged with their animals? How did these changes differ across jurisdictions in Africa and Asia? The course ends by looking at present day issues such as conservation, heritage and animal welfare, asking what it means to think about the ‘environment’ of environmental law in light of this history.
Following completion of the course, students can expect to have a broad understanding of how modern environmental law has evolved, with specific knowledge of the operation of regimes such as the CBD and CITES. The key objective of the course is to re-historicise contemporary ‘global’ environmental law, with particular reference to developments in Britain and its colonies in Africa and Asia. Through individual research projects students are expected to develop critical perspectives on aspects of the topics covered throughout the year, using sources and theories from other disciplines (such as politics, history, anthropology and gender studies) alongside conventional environmental law texts.
**Please note that, while the general outline of the course is final, topics for each week are provisional and have been included to give committee members a sense of course content.**
The Development of Environmental Law after WWII
1. Environmental Law in Global Context
2. Principles, Actors and Institutions of International Environmental Law
3. Environmental Law in the UK
4. Contemporary Issues in Environmental Law
Early Modern Britain
5. Attitudes to ‘Nature’ in 16th and 17th Century England
6. Attitudes to ‘the Environment’ in 18th and 19th Century England
7. The Changing Face of Regulation in Early Modern Britain
8. Animal Spirits, the City and the Soul: the Role of Church and State
Environmental Law in the 19th and 20th Centuries: Asia and Africa
9. ‘Empire Forestry’ as Colonial Project
10. Water Regimes
11. Wildlife and Poaching Laws
12. Shifting Landscapes of Production and Consumption
Human-Animal Relations in Britain and its Colonies
13. Domestication: Pets and the Family
14. Legislation Governing Human-Animal Relations in Britain and is Colonies
15. Comparative Case Law on Bestiality
16. Eating Well: Slaughter, Sacrifice and Sanitation
Conservation in the 21st Century
17. Good Deaths and Competent Executioners: A Comparative Study of Animal Welfare
18. Species and Scarcity
19. Heritage and Future Generations
20. Review Lecture: Thinking About the ‘Environment’ of Environmental Law
Method of assessment
Assessment weighting: 100% coursework (1 written assignment of 8,000 words). Coursework may be resubmitted.
