Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LM Urban Environments in the Global South
School	School of Geog Earth & Env Sci
Department	Geography
Module Code	03 37771
Module Lead	Natasha Cornea
Level	Masters Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Exclusions
Description	Is garbage always "bad"? Are parks "good"? Are sewers political? This course will explore the social, political, and economic dimensions - processes, structures, and actors - that shape urban environments in the global South. To do this, we will draw on urban political ecology as a conceptual approach, and engage with the scholarship in South Asian and African urbanism, and post-colonial studies. Urban political ecologists understand cities to be (re)produced through a dialectical relationship between society and the biophysical environment. These processes often result in highly unequitable urban environments. In this module, we will explore socio-natural dynamics across resource and environmental service domains, as well as examining key actors and contemporary policy debates.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate an advanced level of understanding of emerging themes in urban political ecology and southern Urbanism; Introduce advanced level ideas in the critical analysis of a selected socio-environmental artefact or condition; Demonstrate an intermediate level ability to synthesize ideas from diverse intellectual traditions and from non-academic sources. Effectively communicate complex ideas in writing.
Assessment	37771-01 : Concept Paper 1 : Coursework (10%) 37771-02 : Concept Paper 2 : Coursework (10%) 37771-03 : Essay : Coursework (80%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: Assessment One: 500 word (10%) Concept/Theory assignment Assessment Two: 500 word (10%) Concept/Theory assignment Assessment Three: 4000 word (80%) coursework Reassessment: Resubmission of new assessment, on new topic as above
Other
Reading List