210146 SE M11: Forschungspraktikum (2024S)

This seminar introduces Master students to the basic features of global environmental negotiations and the empirical study thereof. Starting from the premise that we need to broaden the conceptualization of the actors, sites, and processes constitutive of international environmental agreements and law, the course will provide:
1) Knowledge about the theoretical foundations of global environmental negotiations
2) Empirical examples and cases from the areas of climate change, biodiversity, and ocean protection
3) A methodological toolbox and guide for designing a research project in this area.
In the first part of the course, students will be familiarized with the conceptual foundations of “global environmental agreement-making” (Hughes, Vadrot, et al., 2021; Hughes & Vadrot, 2023) and the set of actors, sites, and processes constituting environmental negotiation. Students will learn how and why negotiations are shaped by, reflect, and have the potential to re-make or transform the intertwined global order of social, political, and economic relations.
The second part of the course will introduce different agreement-making sites (climate change, biodiversity, and ocean protection) and allow students to familiarize themselves with what global environmental agreement-making means in practice. A range of key principles and terms will be introduced, and their meaning in theory and practice will be reflected and discussed.
In the third part of the course, students will be familiarised with key methods and tools to study global environmental agreement-making and how to develop their own research projects.
The course targets Master students interested in the various themes of global environmental politics and the empirical study thereof. While it may be advantageous if you have some knowledge of global environmental politics or multilateral negotiations, the course is still conceptualized in a way that permits all students to participate.