Undergraduate Course: Sustainable Development 1a: Introducing Sustainable Development (SCIL08008)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Sustainable Development 1A: Introducing Sustainable Development addresses the central problems facing us in the twenty-first century, which concern access to water, food, energy, shelter, as well as justice, 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 the perspective of different disciplines, and helps students situate themselves in these debates as well as reflect on their own stance. |
| Course description |
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 economic history and sociology, politics and international relations, social anthropology and human geography, 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. Students will be encouraged to examine from the lens of sustainability the challenges that contemporary societies are being confronted with from global to local levels. They will also be able to evaluate the changes that capitalist and industrial development and technological advancement have brought about to living patterns and the environment.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 9,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
165 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Reflective diary (1700 words): 40%
Final Paper (2 x 1,000 word essays): 60% |
| Feedback |
Students receive formative feedback on their reflective diary and also feedback on the take-home paper. They are welcome to discuss feedback with their tutorial tutor, personal tutor or the course organiser. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate their knowledge of the history of the concept of "sustainable development", and the key principles upon which the concept is built.
- Critically appraise the ways in which sustainable development is applied, assessed and measured.
- Understand the key insights and contributions from a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives on sustainable development
- Situate themselves in Sustainable Development related debates and develop their own stance
- Use basic analytical and presentation skills.
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Reading List
Dresner, S. 2008. The Principles of Sustainability (second edition) London: Earthscan. (e-book)
Aronoff, K., Battistoni, A., Aldana Cohen, D., Riofrancos A (2019) A planet to win. Why we need a Green New Deal Verso
Jackson, T. 2017. Prosperity without growth: foundations for the economy of tomorrow 2nd ed., London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. (e-book)
Klein, N. 2015. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs the Climate. Penguin. (not an e-book through the library but currently less than £10 in Blackwells)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Sustainable Development |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Faye Wade
Tel:
Email: Faye.Wade@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Brodie Hamilton
Tel: (0131 6)51 3139
Email: Brodie.Hamilton@ed.ac.uk |
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