Postgraduate Course: Principles of Environmental Sustainability (PGGE11060)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course is designed to identify and explore the principles that can be considered to form the core of sustainable development, and to investigate the extent of the environmental issues currently faced by society. It also aims to examine the underlying driving forces for environmental change, in terms of population growth, technological change, market economics and consumption patterns. The course encourages a strongly interdisciplinary approach to the understanding of sustainable development and seeks to foster critical thinking and debate. |
| Course description |
Topics covered in the course:
1. Introduction. What is sustainable development?
2. Conflicting worldviews of environment and development
3. Sustainability indicators and the integration principle
4. Environmental limits and the sustainability principle
5. Climate change and the precautionary principle
6. Population, consumption and the equity principle
7. The market and the polluter pays principle
8. Engaging communities and the participation principle
9. Envisioning a sustainable future
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 50 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 44,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
152 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The course is assessed by coursework (50%) and examination (50%):
Coursework: 2000-word essay, chosen from several titles (50% of course mark).
Examination: students answer two one-hour essay questions, from a choice of five (each answer is worth 25% of course mark); examination to be held during semester 1 exam period (week 13 or week 14). |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Principles of Environmental Sustainability | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- understand of the evolution of sustainable development and its contested meanings
- have wider and deeper engagement with relevant literatures
- have increased capacity for critical assessment of arguments related to sustainability
- apply broader interdisciplinary perspective and greater ability to link different areas of knowledge
- gain appreciation of the core principles of sustainable development
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Reading List
Beder, S. (2006). Environmental Principles and Policies. An Interdisciplinary Introduction. Earthscan, London. ISBN: 1844074048.
Dresner, S. (2008). The Principles of Sustainability, 2nd Edition. Earthscan, London. ISBN: 9781844074969 [Available online via Searcher].
Hulme, M.M. (2009). Why We Disagree About Climate Change: Understanding Controversy, Inaction and Opportunity. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN: 9780521727327.
Jackson, T. (2009). Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet. Earthscan, London. ISBN: 9781844078943
McNeill, J.R. (2001). Something New Under The Sun: An Environmental History of the World in the 20th Century. W.W. Norton & Company, New York. ISBN: 0393321835.
Middleton, N. (2013). The Global Casino: An Introduction to Environmental Issues, Fifth Edition. Routledge, Abingdon. ISBN: 9781444146622.
Rogers, P.R., Jalal, K.F., and Boyd, J.A. (2007). An Introduction to Sustainable Development. Earthscan, London. ISBN: 9781844075201.
Wilkinson, R.G., and Pickett, K. (2010). The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone. Penguin, London. ISBN: 9780241954294. |
Additional Information
| Course URL |
http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/~sallen/pes/ |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
1. Improved essay writing skills
2. Improved debating skills gained through group discussions |
| Special Arrangements |
Anyone wishing to enrol students from outside the School of GeoSciences should make a specific arrangement with the Course Organiser (Simon Allen: simon.allen@ed.ac.uk; tel 0131 650 7215) as there is high demand for this course. |
| Keywords | sustainable development; environmental change; sustainability lifestyles |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Simon Allen
Tel: (0131 6)50 7215
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Karolina Galera
Tel: (0131 6)50 2572
Email: |
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