2017/18 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

SOEE5775M Sustainable Futures

15 creditsClass Size: 5

Module manager: Dr Milena Buchs
Email: M.M.Buchs@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

Pre-requisite qualifications

EITHER SOEE 1110 OR GEOG 1065

Pre-requisites

GEOG1065	Nature, Society and Environment
SOEE1110	Sustainable Development

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module acts as a culmination of the three years of the degree programme, and gets students to bring together ideas and approaches from across all three years of their studies, to see how they fit together. It also gets students to look forwards, to see what sustainability challenges might be emerging in coming years, how they might be solved, particularly how the issues covered in their degree might help tackle such challenges.

Objectives

-To outline the general challenges for creating sustainable futures
-To explore the complexities and interdisciplinary challenges to sustainability in several key areas
-To present current cutting edge research and outline upcoming challenges in sustainability in future years and decades

Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students will be able to
-Understand the key challenges to creating sustainable societies at a range of spatial and temporal scales
-Have a synoptic view of the challenges within sustainability, and how these can be approached from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, and how they might interact
-Have a knowledge of cutting edge research in sustainability
-Critically analyse forthcoming issues in sustainability
-Critically analyse academic literature in an advanced manner

Skills outcomes
Advanced independent critical thought

Syllabus

Part one of this module covers the broad general challenges to creating sustainable societies, such as the need for interdisciplinary thinking, complexity and wicked problems, challenges of working across spatial and temporal scales. Part two explores challenges to sustainability in particular themed areas, such as agriculture, cities. Part three draws on current research conducted within the school to explore current and future challenges in depth. In addition, students will be encouraged to engage with broader research related activities taking place within the school, such as departmental seminars. Overall, the module encourages students to think across their three years of study, and to engage with current research and future issues.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lectures	18	2.00	36.00
Seminar	3	2.00	6.00
Private study hours			108.00
Total Contact hours			42.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			150.00

Private study

Students will be expected to conduct their own reading, both following the reading list and independently.
In addition, students will be expected to form their own tutorial discussion groups to discuss the issues raised within classes. Staff will facilitate this by providing VLE resources to help groups form, and by providing questions for discussion within groups at the end of each lecture. Given that there are few such discussion tutorials within SOEE, the first 3 will be timetabled and the discussion will be facilitated by a teaching assistant.
Students will be encouraged to attend departmental seminars as part of the module.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	Essay (2,500 Words)	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		40.00

Assignment 1 will be due in early January in keeping with practice on SOEE3770. This will be a broadly worded essay which requires students to think broadly across the degree whilst integrating some of the concepts discussed in lectures. This kind of broad question will help prepare students for the kind of broad questions requiring synoptic thinking across themes which will be in the final exam. The essay question will be identical to that used on the level 3 variant (SOEE3770) to reflect the shared syllabus. The coursework assignment on this level 5 variant is distinct from the level 3 variant in the following ways: 1. Increased word count based on School assessment norms for level 5 modules 2. Marking criteria will reflect expectations of level 5 students

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	3 hr 00 mins	60.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		60.00

Students will be presented with a list of 6 questions, of which they have to answer 2. Students will have 3 hours. The questions will be broad in nature, encouraging students to think across their degree course, and to write 2 structured essays. In writing these essays, they will be expected to draw upon ideas and readings from this module, and from across the 4 years of study. The exam on this level 5 variant is distinct from the level 3 variant in that that it will have its own exam paper with questions and associated marking criteria that reflect the learning outcomes of level 5 modules.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 22/03/2018

Disclaimer

Browse Other Catalogues

• Undergraduate module catalogue
• Taught Postgraduate module catalogue
• Undergraduate programme catalogue
• Taught Postgraduate programme catalogue

Errors, omissions, failed links etc should be notified to the Catalogue Team.PROD