POL SCI 122C · POLISCI 122CGlobal Catastrophic Risk: Clash of Science, Politics, and Ethics
Political Science · 5 units · Undergraduate upper division (100-199)
Designed for juniors/seniors. Global catastrophic risks pose challenge to modern civilization because of their superhuman extension in space, time, and knowledge realm. Their reach is global; their impact is long-term; and their comprehension is complex. Human interests and outlooks are local, regional, and national as well as egoistical, particularistic, and tribal. Overlapping generations spell intergenerational conflicts among living—young, middle-aged, and old—and between ancestors and descendants. Deeply and variably specialized experts struggle to communicate across scientific disciplines, across natural and human sciences, and across pure and applied sciences—only to hit brick wall in their communications with lay public, which is variously represented by elected politicians, appointed bureaucrats, organized interest groups, and fluid social movements. Study of ensuing clash of science.
P/NP or letter grading.
When it runs
- Fall 2025
Scheduled, not typical — from UCLA’s Schedule of Classes, which publishes Fall 2025 through Spring 2027 and nothing before it.
Requisites
UCLA lists no requisites for this course.
Requires
Everything that has to come before this course, not just the courses named in the requisite above.
Nothing — this is an entry point.
Unlocks
What this course is a requisite for, and what those courses lead to in turn.
No course in the catalog lists this as a requisite.