Undergraduate Course: Sustainable Development 1a: Introducing Sustainable Development (SCIL08008)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Sociology |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Sustainable Development 1A: Introducing Sustainable Development addresses the central problems facing us in the twenty-first century, which concern equitable access to water, food, energy, shelter and a peaceful coexistence, in the context of a destabilising climate and degradation of environmental resources. The course debates principles, concepts, contexts, issues and applications of sustainable development from interdisciplinary perspectives. Open to all students, the course starts with a short history of the principles and background to the concept of ¿sustainable development¿, and proceeds to draw on insights from politics and international relations, gender studies and demography, human geography, economic sociology, and social anthropology to unravel the multiple issues and interpretations of sustainability, its politics, and its relevance. Students will learn to think critically about what sustainability means and how it can be applied. It will encourage students to examine from the lens of sustainability the challenges that contemporary societies are being confronted with from global to local levels. It will also enable them to evaluate the changes that industrial development and technological advancement have brought about to living patterns and the environment. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Aims
This introductory course has three broad aims and four objectives:
1. It will give an introduction to the key issues, debates and challenges that our society and environment face.
2. It will encourage and allow students to think about how we might best understand and engage with these issues, debates and challenges.
3. It will examine the meanings and applications of sustainable development from a range of perspectives, understanding what these can offer and how they might be integrated together.
Objectives
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. Understand the history of the concept of ¿sustainable development¿, and the key principles upon which the concept is built.
2. Understand from the lens of sustainability the challenges that contemporary societies are being confronted with.
3. Critically appraise the ways in which sustainable development is applied, assessed and measured.
4. Appreciate the key insights and contributions from a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives on sustainable development.
5. Use basic analytical and presentation skills, through guided research in preparation for assessment and tutorial presentations. |
Assessment Information
*Non-assessed, but compulsory, class work
*1500 word essay (40% of total mark)
*two hour examination (60% of total mark).
Students must pass the examination to pass the course. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Preliminary readings
Dresner, S. (2008) The Principles of Sustainability London: Earthscan.
Jackson, T. (2010) Prosperity Without Growth London: Earthscan.
Students will receive a course guide with extensive readings under each lecture theme. Electronic resources will be used where available.
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Sustainable Development |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Liliana Riga
Tel: (0131 6)51 1853
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Roisin O'Fee
Tel: (0131 6)50 9975
Email: |
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