2024/25 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

SOEE5586M Environment & Development International Field Course

30 creditsClass Size: 20

Module manager: Dr Susannah Sallu
Email: S.Sallu@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2024/25

Module replaces

SOEE5585 Environment & Development Case Study: from theory to practice.

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module provides a structured opportunity to gain field experience in a rural landscape in Tanzania helping to broaden knowledge and deepen understanding of interrelations between the environment and development. It draws on staff research, local practitioner and grassroots perspectives on rural livelihoods, approaches to biodiversity conservation, protected area governance, climate change and climate-smart agriculture. Through experiential learning, participatory and reflexive practice students will critically reflect on class and desk-based learning, and develop skills relevant to environment-development professionals.Through both group and individual work on a particular focal topic students will develop, apply and/or be directly exposed to the application of participatory methodologies and critically reflect on their value in developing new understanding. Students will engage in reflexive learning and dialogue with stakeholders and develop their ability to critically reflect on the application of academic concepts and theory to practice in Tanzania. Online enrolment does not guarantee a place on this module. In addition to online enrolment, students wishing to enrol on this module will need to submit a 'Statement of Motivation Application Form' and pay a field course fee deposit of GBP200. Students applying for this module should be aware that if accepted onto this module they will incur an additional fee of GBP1,800 (to be paid in two equal instalments spaced out October-January). The total cost of the field course (GBP2,000) is not covered in programme fees. This fee covers all costs for student participation in the field course, but does not include additional personal costs incurred by a student which may be necessary for safe travel to Tanzania e.g. vaccinations, medication, personal first aid kit and suitable clothing/footwear for fieldwork. The deadlines for completion of 'Statement of Motivation Form' and deposit payment will be released during induction week. If the number of students exceeds available places on the field course, the 'Statement of Motivation Form' will be used to select the most suitable candidates. Confirmation of a place on the module will be communicated before the module change deadline in Semester 1, however students are advised to apply for an additional back up module. Should a student not be accepted onto the module the deposit will be returned.

Objectives

The objectives of this module are:
1. To provide students a structured opportunity to develop contextual knowledge of the interrelations between the environment and development in a rural landscape of a developing country context.
2. Through field visits and participatory dialogue with stakeholders students will develop in-depth understanding of landscape and livelihood dynamics,
protected area governance and rural livelihood development and
climate-smart agriculture approaches and innovation.
5. Through project work on a topic of interest, students will develop experience of planning, implementing and sharing outcomes of an exploratory study with a stakeholder audience.
6. To build student capacity for critical reflexivity of their experiential learning.

Learning outcomes
By the end of the module students will be able to:
1. Explain and examine interrelations between the environment and development in a rural landscape of a developing country context.
2. Plan and implement an exploratory study on a topic of relevance to the module in the case study context (e.g. landscape and livelihoods, conservation governance, climate-smart agriculture).
3. Evaluate the suitability and consequences of applying academic concepts and theory in practice.
4. Present the outcomes of an exploratory study to stakeholder audiences and formulate conclusions/recommendations.
5. Critically reflect on one's own experiential learning during the field course.

Skills outcomes
By the end of the module students will have developed skills in the following areas:
1. Fieldwork logistics, planning and ethics.
2. Project development and implementation.
3. Application of and/or critical reflection on participatory and ethnographic methodological approaches.
4. Cross-cultural learning/research e.g. working with translators.
5. Integrated analysis and evaluation of primary and secondary evidence.
6. Critical reflexivity.
7. Oral and written communication for non-scientific audiences.
9. Group and independent project work.
10. Time-management and meeting deadlines.

Syllabus

Introduction to the academic and case-study context (in Leeds), with focus on:
- Biodiversity conservation, protected area governance and rural livelihood development
- Landscape and livelihood diversity, dynamics and resilience
- Climate-smart agricultural practice and innovation
Preparing for fieldwork (in Leeds)
- Research practice, ethics and methods in cross-cultural contexts
- Participatory and ethnographic methodologies
- Reflexive thinking and reflective writing
- Fieldwork logistics, project planning and health and safety

Field course (in Tanzania) – 14-day trip including travel.
1) Seminars from Nature Reserve staff
2) Field visits within Amani Nature Reserve, to smallholder households and farms, tea estate and climate-smart agriculture demonstration plots
3) Participatory dialogue with nature reserve stakeholders, including local government, non-governmental organisations, businesses, secondary school, local village leaders and villagers
4) Group reflection sessions
5) Project work
6) Oral presentations to stakeholders

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Supervision	3	0.30	1.00
presentation	1	4.00	4.00
Fieldwork	10	7.00	70.00
Lecture	4	2.00	8.00
Practical	1	1.00	1.00
Seminar	1	2.00	2.00
Independent online learning hours			2.00
Private study hours			212.00
Total Contact hours			86.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			300.00

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

-- Immediate formative feedback will be provided during practical session and group discussions of project ideas with staff in Leeds in week 18
- Written formative feedback will be provided on project proposals before project implementation
- Regular iterative feedback will be provided by staff during field visits, participatory dialogue sessions, all group reflective sessions, during one-to-one and group meetings with students during the field course. Learning can then be fed into project work and reflective log writing.
- Detailed formative feedback will be provided on project presentation, learning from which can be fed into briefing note writing.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Oral Presentation	Presentation to stakeholders during the field course	20.00
Project	Briefing note of project findings	50.00
Reflective log	2 page summary	30.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		100.00

Re-sit for this module will take the form of a 3,000 word written assignment.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 04/04/2024 14:08:13

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