PLSC 441 The Politics of Climate Change in Developing States

Syllabus

PLSC 441 · The Politics of Climate Change in Developing States · Fall 2026. This page is generated from the syllabus document; it is the authoritative version.

Term
Fall 2026
Instructor
Dr. Cleo O'Brien-Udry
Meets
Monday & Wednesday, 10:30–11:50 am
Location
322 David Kinley Hall
Office hours
Mon & Wed 1–3 pm, and by appointment · 309 David Kinley Hall
Email
coudry@illinois.edu

Course Description

How does climate change affect politics in the developing world? How do domestic and international actors confront the challenges of a warming world? What explains different strategies for mitigating climate change? This upper-level political science course equips students to answer these questions by introducing key concepts in climate politics and development discourse. While the industrialized world is responsible for the vast majority of historical emissions, the developing world is disproportionately vulnerable to the effects of climate change. This class will seek to understand the historic disparities in emissions and income that separate the Global North and Global South. We will explore the unique aspects of politics in developing states that explain differences in climate policy and the impacts of climate change.

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Understand and evaluate the distinct effects of climate change in developing countries
  • Connect key concepts in politics to the realities of climate impacts and mitigation efforts
  • Engage with and intervene into debates about the political causes and consequences of climate change
  • Critically analyze the relationship between international politics and climate in developing contexts

Prerequisites

PS 280 or PS 281 or PS 283, or at least six hours of Political Science credit, or consent of the instructor.

Course Requirements

Notebook and writing utensil.

Readings. All reading materials will be posted on the course website.

Credits and hours. This is a three-credit hour course. Your commitment to this course exceeds the time spent in class meetings. You should expect to spend about 9 to 12 hours each week outside of class time completing the required readings and course assignments. The course consists of two eighty-minute seminars.

Grade breakdown:

  • In-class participation (25%)
  • Case studies (25%)
  • Direct action (5%)
  • Midterm (20%)
  • Final (25%)

Grade scale:

Grade Range
A ≥ 93%
A− 90–92.99%
B+ 87–89.99%
B 83–86.99%
B− 80–82.99%
C+ 77–79.99%
C 73–76.99%
C− 70–72.99%
D+ 67–69.99%
D 63–66.99%
D− 60–62.99%
F Below 60%

Assignments

DQ = discussion questions · CS = case study · CA = climate action

In-class participation (25%)

I expect you to have come to class and have done the readings beforehand in order to participate and engage with the material.

  • Discussion questions for the week's readings are due each Monday before class here.
  • Active engagement in class is a large part of your grade! This includes asking/answering questions in lecture, participating in small group activities, and fostering an inclusive and curious environment.
  • Regular in-class responses to the readings will be used to check comprehension and completion of assigned course readings.
  • If you have any barriers to in-class participation, please let me know at the beginning of the semester and we will work to find appropriate accommodations.
  • In-class assignments (presentations, discussion questions, case studies) will be a regular form of participation alongside class discussions and activities.

Case studies (25%)

Pick one country to focus on throughout the course from this list. The goal of the case studies is for you to engage with concepts in class by applying them to a specific context you're interested in.

  • Weekly summary (10%). Apply the concept from the course to your country. How does the issue manifest in your country? What are the similarities or differences between your country's experience and the experience of country examples from class?
  • Random presentation (15%). Each Wednesday I will pull three student names from a hat. Each randomly selected student will give a two-minute summary of their case study from the week. Students will present three times (5% per presentation) over the course of the semester.

Direct climate action (5%)

Choose a form of climate action to pursue across the semester. Types of action include (but are not limited to!): starting a composting bin in your dorm/apartment, joining a local climate or environmental group, participating in citizen science initiatives, volunteering for a pro-climate cause, writing or creating public-focused climate information or art, etc. See the list of suggestions at the end of this syllabus.

  • Propose direct action. Short description of how you plan to take action.
  • Evidence of direct action. Take a photo of you engaging in a form of direct climate action; reflect on the process of finding and engaging with climate action (500 words).

Midterm (20%)

A closed-book, in-person midterm. The midterm is an essay question that asks students to synthesize concepts from class using examples from a country of choice. Date TBA.

Final (25%)

A closed-book, in-person final. The final is an essay question that asks students to synthesize concepts from class using examples from a country of choice. Date TBA.

Course Policies

(adopted from Professor Rana Khoury)

  • Classroom interactions should remain respectful and engaged. Your responsibility is to contribute to a comfortable climate. My responsibility is to facilitate and maintain such a climate. You may reach out to me if you feel that we are falling short in this mandate.
  • Learning takes diverse forms. Accommodations can be made in coordination with the Division of Disability Resources and Educational Services, reachable at (217) 333-4603 or disability@illinois.edu.
  • Late work will not be accepted unless prior permission has been granted.
  • Attendance is vital to your final grade. Two unexcused absences are allowed. More than two unexcused absences will decrease your grade by five percentage points for every absence. If you will be regularly absent from class for any reason, you must inform me prior to absences and, while every effort will be made to accommodate learning, this may not be the class for you if you are unable to attend.
  • Computers and phones are permitted for course work. If they become a distraction, I will change our course modalities so that they will not be used in class at all.
  • Email is an effective mode of communication with me if you have a quick question or if you need to set up an appointment outside of office hours to discuss a substantive question. If I have not responded within 36 hours, feel free to send a follow-up.
  • Grades are not a reflection of your self-worth: grades in this class represent both mastery of the subject material (knowledge, critical application, reflection) and effort to improve or maintain understanding of the course topics. I do not regrade assignments. You must be proactive in addressing concerns.
  • This syllabus is subject to change. Please pay attention to emails or other communications indicating changes as we go. Some possible reasons for change include lack of engagement with course material prior to course meetings (I am not above pop quizzes!), overuse of artificial intelligence for writing assignments, and misuse of electronic devices.

Academic Integrity

Scholars build upon the work of others, citing and crediting them along the way. Plagiarism is not acceptable.

Don't cheat! Cheating is unauthorized collaboration on exams and solo-authored writing assignments. As described in the University of Illinois Student Code, the consequences of plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty can include a zero (0) in the given assignment, failure in the course, or dismissal from the university.

Artificial Intelligence

(adopted from policies of Oxford University Press, International Studies Association, and Professors Aleksander Ksiazkiewicz and Rana Khoury)

Using AI to write your assignments is cheating as per (a)(1) in the academic integrity policy above. It will be treated as such, just like if you have plagiarized a published work or had someone else write your essays for you. Our guiding principle will be transparency. Detailed statements of the exact use of AI tools must be disclosed. Such statements should include information on the AI tool and where it was used in the creation of the essay (for example, were AI tools used in word choice, choosing a thesis statement, or in citation generation?) You must put any direct quotations in quotation marks.

Schedule Overview

DQ = discussion questions · CS = case study · CA = climate action

W Dates Topics Due Notes
1 8/24, 8/26 Intro; physical effects CS (8/26)
2 8/31 Coal, industrialization, and slavery DQ (8/31); CA proposal (9/2) No class Wed 9/2
3 9/9 Colonialism and resource extraction CS (9/9) Single session — Labor Day 9/7
4 9/14, 9/16 Trade; environmental treaties DQ (9/14); CS (9/16)
5 9/21, 9/23 COP DQ (9/21); CS (9/23)
6 9/28, 9/30 TBA DQ (9/28); CS (9/30) Both sessions virtual
7 10/5, 10/7 Migration — causes; consequences DQ (10/5); CS (10/7)
8 10/12, 10/14 Violence; conflict DQ (10/12); CS (10/14)
9 10/19, 10/21 Deforestation; pollution DQ (10/19) Midterm week
10 10/26, 10/28 History: oil; renewable energy — international DQ (10/26); CS (10/28)
11 11/2, 11/4 Critical minerals; renewable energy — domestic DQ (11/2); CS (11/4)
12 11/9, 11/11 Climate finance — determinants; effects DQ (11/9); CS (11/11)
13 11/16, 11/18 Supply chains — corporations; CBAM DQ (11/16); CS (11/18)
14 11/30, 12/2 Carbon offsets — principles; applications DQ (11/30); CS (12/2) (Thanksgiving break precedes: no class 11/23–11/27)
15 12/7 Direct climate action DQ; CA (12/7) Single session

Weekly Detail

Week 1: 8/24, 8/26 — Intro and physical effects

Intro

Week 2: 8/31 — Coal, industrialization, and slavery

No class Wednesday 9/2. The climate action proposal is still due that day.

Week 3: 9/9 — Colonialism and resource extraction

Single session this week — no Monday meeting (Labor Day, 9/7).

Week 4: 9/14, 9/16 — Trade and environmental treaties

Trade

Environmental Kuznets Curve

Week 5: 9/21, 9/23 — Climate agreements

Tragedy of the commons/Distributional effects

Climate agreements

Week 6: 9/28, 9/30 — TBA

Week 7: 10/5, 10/7 — Migration

Migration – causes

Migration – consequences

Week 8: 10/12, 10/14 — Violence and conflict

Violence

Conflict

Week 9: 10/19, 10/21 — Deforestation and pollution

Midterm week.

Deforestation

Pollution

Week 10: 10/26, 10/28 — Oil and renewable energy

History – Oil

Renewable energy – international

Week 11: 11/2, 11/4 — Critical minerals and domestic renewables

Critical minerals

Renewable energy – domestic

Week 12: 11/9, 11/11 — Climate finance

Climate finance – determinants

Climate finance – effects – JETP

Week 13: 11/16, 11/18 — Supply chains

Supply chains – corporations

Supply chains – carbon markets

Week 14: 11/30, 12/2 — Carbon offsets

(Thanksgiving break precedes this week: no class 11/23–11/27.)

Carbon offsets – principles

Carbon offsets – applications

Week 15: 12/7 — Direct climate action

Single session this week — the last day of classes.

Presentations and discussion of the semester's direct climate action projects. Evidence of direct action is due 12/7.

Direct Action Ideas

  • Start a composting bin in your dorm/apartment
  • Volunteer with a local environmental group
  • Attend a climate protest
  • Switch to biking, walking, or riding the bus when commuting
  • Conduct research
  • Create art that brings attention to climate/the environment
  • Communicate climate science via blog, podcast, vlog
  • Connect with city government
  • Call and write your representative
  • Track your consumption habits and try to reduce them
  • Take the train or bus instead of flying
  • Reduce your red meat and dairy consumption
  • Participate in citizen science initiatives
  • Join a national or international movement
  • Organize an event on campus
  • Advocate for heat pumps, electrification, and energy efficiency in buildings
  • Volunteer for the local bike coop (thebikeproject.org)
  • Join me (your professor) on Chloride Watch at select dates throughout the semester to check on salt run-off levels at sites in Champaign-Urbana

Additional resources: