| Unit name | Sustainable Development |
|---|---|
| Unit code | UNIV10001 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Michalopoulou |
| Open unit status | Open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Geographical Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
A trailer is available for this unit here. This unit will provide an interdisciplinary introduction to key concepts and activities related to Sustainable Development. It will draw on content from a diverse range of academics at UoB, showing how interdisciplinary research and practice can help (i) inform understanding of the challenges and controversies of sustainable development and (ii) inform understanding of the key approaches used to achieve sustainable development. By doing so, students will gain an overview of the history and philosophy behind the idea of Sustainable Development, the particular challenges that are captured in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, activities taken in pursuit of Sustainable Development as well as critical perspectives on these.
Through case studies, students will gain an in-depth understanding of key challenge areas within Sustainable Development. Previous examples of these include the challenges of (a) access to fresh water (b) climate change and decarbonisation of energy supplies and (c) biodiversity loss and deforestation. These case studies may change from year to year. These challenges will in turn be used as examples to show how different disciplines and interdisciplinary approaches can be used to provide insight and ways forward.
The unit will be presented under six broad headings: 'Introducing Sustainable Development'; 'Science, Local Knowledge and the Arts'; 'Economics, Policy and Politics'; 'Law, Business and Civil Society'; 'Technology and Innovation'; 'A Just Transition?'.
This unit takes a blended learning approach and students are required to engage with online content before attending weekly workshops. This content will cover the different interdisciplinary approaches and will involve reading documents and viewing videos of mini-lectures and case studies.
The unit will include a number of workshops which will encourage students to apply the insights from the online materials to specific case studies and critically discuss how contemporary sustainability challenges intersect with and influence our day-to-day lives.
The unit aims are:
By the end of the unit, students will:
The unit will be taught through a blended combination of online pre-lecture content and in-person teaching, including
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
A group work plan discussing insights drawn from the course and a structure for the summative assessment. [ILOs 1,2,3].
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Group-work report on a specific Sustainable Development challenge. Marks will be awarded individually and may be subject to adjustment due to peer review and staff assessment (100%) [ILO 4]
When assessment does not go to plan
Students will be offered an alternative assessment for completion in the summer reassessment period which will consist of a guided research project based on case studies.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. UNIV10001).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
