Introduction to Sustainability

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Critique the popular and academic literature on sustainable development and socio-ecological resilience revealing an understanding of the multiple perspectives, while also being able to identify robust concerns or options
• Carefully articulate the multiple interpretations of sustainability and the worldviews that underpin these perspectives
• Describe to a lay person the successes and failures of past attempts at sustainability, the reasons for these, and the future direction of sustainability
• Critically evaluate the concepts of justice, ethics and wellbeing, conservation, resilience, and economic growth and development
• Produce academic and commercially relevant information on sustainability for scientific as well as non-scientific audiences
• Describe multiple examples of the interconnectedness of justice, ethics and wellbeing, conservation, complex systems’ resilience, and economic growth and development

LECTURE TOPICS

Week 1. Introduction to the course (CH)

Week 2. Pillar 1: Economic growth and development (MS)

Week 3. Pillar 2: Society, justice and equity (MS)

Week 4. Pillar 3: Environmental sustainability and adaptive (CH)

Week 5. Sustainability Frameworks (CH)

Week 6. Reading Week

Week 7. Friday: Role Playing in water resources

Week 8. Sustainability Frameworks (CH)

Week 9. Case studies in application of Sustainability (CH/PD)

Week 10. Developing infographic workshop (CH)

Week 11. World views and normative aspects of SD (MS)

SEMINAR TOPICS

Week 1. Principles and history of Sustainability thinking (CH)

Week 2. Perspectives on economic growth and Assessment 1 support (MS)

Week 3. Poverty/Vulnerability/Wellbeing: Concepts in Sustainability (MS)

Week 4. Developing Indicators: Practical (CH)

Week 5. Frameworks within Sustainability and sustainability science (CH)

Week 6. Reading week

Week 7. Friday: Role playing in water resources

Week 8. Frameworks within Sustainability and sustainability science II (CH)

Week 9. Procurement: Your laptop from cradle to grave (CH/PD)

Week 10. Developing infographic workshop (CH)

Week 11. Visioning future pathways (MS)

CH = Prof. Craig Hutton, MS = Marije Schaafsma, PD= Phil Duddel

Teaching and learning methods

• 11 weeks x 2 hours Seminar
• 1 x 8 hour field trip to BREGrroup
• 11 weeks x 1 hour Lecture
• 2 x 1 hour help session (anticiapted)
• Total hours = 43

Daily responses to BB forum queries from a module convenor and other teaching staff Participatory learning approaches, peer-learning and collaboration - within and beyond the classroom

– lie at the heart of this module, thereby allowing students to be exposed to multiple perspectives and enabling creative responses to emerge. This will be achieved through weekly seminars and a second assignment that is about collaboration and cooperation.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Adger, W.N. and Jordan, A. (eds) (2009). Governing Sustainability. Cambridge University Press.

Blewitt, John (2015). Understanding Sustainable Development. Earthscan from Routledge..

Mulligan, Martin (2014). An Introduction to Sustainability: Environmental, Social and Personal Perspectives.

Assessment strategy

• Repeat failed assignment (if assignment 1 or 3).
• Formative assessment does not need to be passed
• Student needs to gain an average pass mark of 50% to successfully complete this module

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External