Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

Module Identifier
GS27920
Module Title
How to Build a Sustainable Society
Academic Year
2025/2026
Co-ordinator
Professor Mark Whitehead
Semester
Semester 1

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment End of Module Assessment  Essay. Choosing 1 from 7 options 2000 Words  50%
Semester Assessment Fieldwork Policy Report  Group report based upon local fieldwork and policy analysis 1500 Words  40%
Semester Assessment Earth Summit Presentation  Group Presentation - introducing sustainability policy brief for designated country 10 Minutes  10%
Supplementary Assessment Fieldwork Policy Report  Individual report based upon local fieldwork and policy analysis 750 Words  40%
Supplementary Assessment Earth Summit Presentation Recorded  individual Presentation - introducing sustainability policy brief for designated country. Recorded. 5 Minutes  10%
Supplementary Assessment End of Module Assessment  Essay. Choosing 1 from 7 options 2000 Words  50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Describe and evaluate the principles of sustainability.

Specify clearly the kinds of local, national and international factors that have given rise to the emergence of sustainability as a political objective.

Exemplify the different ways in which policies for sustainability are being developed in different parts of the world.

Discuss and evaluate, using specific examples, the limitations of sustainability as both an international policy discourse and set of social and economic practices.

Brief description

Sustainability is one of the most prominent concepts and policy goals associated with social, economic and environmental policy making in the world today. This module provides students with a critical background to the scientific and philosophical origins of the principles of sustainability, explores how sustainability is being implemented in different parts of the world, and considers its limitations and future orientation.

Aims

1. Describe and evaluate the principles of sustainability.
2. Specify clearly the kinds of national and international factors that have given rise to the emergence of sustainability as a political objective.
3. Exemplify the different ways in which policies for sustainability are being developed in different parts of the world.
4. Discuss and evaluate, using specific examples, the limitations of sustainability as both an international policy discourse and set of social and economic practices.

Content

The module begins by providing students with an account of the practical and philosophical histories of the notion of sustainability and why it is so important in the world today. The second part of the module explores the emergence of sustainable development policies in different parts of the world. The third section considers attempts to create more sustainable societies at individual, community and urban scales. In the final section of the module students are introduced to some of the ways in which the concept of sustainability is being challenged.

The module will be delivered through a mixture of lectures (60%), fieldwork sessions (30%) and a mock Earth Summit (10%).

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Adaptability and resilience As part of this module students will participate in a Mock Earth Summit. The debate format associated with this summit will require adaptability and resilience. The fieldwork component of this module will also require students to adapt to the situations they encounter in the field.
Co-ordinating with others There are two group-based assessments associated within this module. These will require active and ongoing collaboration. Students will also be expected to collaborate in small discussion groups during lectures.
Creative Problem Solving The module will consistently expect students to think through various social, environmental and political problems and to consider possible solutions to them.
Critical and analytical thinking This skill is a core component of the module and is encouraged within each taught session and assessment.
Digital capability Engagement with the module will facilitate the consolidation and advancement of digital competencies through the use of web resources and digital systems for presenting geographical data.
Professional communication The Mock Earth Summit requires the development of professional oral communication skills. The Policy/Fieldwork Report is based upon the demonstration of professional written communication skills.
Real world sense Through fieldwork and lecture-based case studies students will be consistently expected to apply their learning to real world situations.
Reflection Aspects of the module require students to think about the connections between their own behaviours/habits and sustainability.
Subject Specific Skills The module requires students to development their fieldwork skills and their ability to interrogate problems that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 5