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XX50220: Contemporary debates in sustainability

[Page last updated: 04 August 2021]

Academic Year: 2021/2
Owning Department/School: Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences (units for MRes programmes)
Credits: 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 120
Level: Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7)
Period:
Academic Year
Assessment Summary: CW 100%
Assessment Detail:
  • Presentation (CW 15%)
  • Essay (CW 85%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Aims: To provide an understanding of how a range of research methods can be integrated to examine energy use and supply as well as environmental and sustainability issues.
To develop an appreciation of the importance of pertinent inter-disciplinary thinking.
To equip students for careers as professional researchers in either academic or non-academic environments.

Learning Outcomes: Acquire relevant critical skills for the evaluation of evidence.
Acquire the ability to address environmental problems from different perspectives e.g. Economics (cost benefit analysis and contingent valuation) and Psychology (attitudes and behaviour change).
Acquire a thorough understanding of the application of social science concepts to the understanding of key debates relating to environmental challenges and adaptability of human systems.
Appreciate the relationship between technological advances in, for example, the supply of information about variable tariffs for domestic electricity and gas and the effect this may have on demand and consumption of energy.

Skills: Develop good communication skills when delivering material to inter-disciplinary audiences.
Planning and presentation skills for Environmental Uncertainties Workshops and Climate Change Summer Schools.
Peer group presentation

Content: Students will be able to choose sessions from seminars at partner institutions and online, in conversation with the pathway lead, and should attend at least five sessions. Two tutorials will be provided by the pathway lead to support seminar choice and encourage reflection. Students will also meet together for a day of shared teaching at one of the partner institutions during semester two.

Programme availability:

XX50220 is a Designated Essential Unit on the following programmes:

Department of Psychology

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2021/22 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2022/23 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2021/22.
  • Programmes and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.