MSc Climate Futures: Science, Society and Politics

Year 1

(Award available for year: Master of Science)

Learning outcomes

By the end of this degree, students will be able to:

Explain why/how the climate system is changing and the possible consequences of different policy and political approaches to climate action.

Critically interpret different climate concepts and information sources.

Critique a range of positions within debates pertinent to climate change on international, national and local scales.

Identify and appraise the consequences of choosing diverse narratives, perspectives and solutions for the natural world and society, including whose interests are prioritised or excluded.

Demonstrate key skills in collaboration and problem solving in diverse teams and with stakeholders.

Use research methods, approaches and communication techniques that are appropriate for producing, disseminating and enacting interdisciplinary knowledge on climate change.

Co-design the steps to implement innovative, effective and equitable visions that address tractable challenges posed by the climate crisis, including an integrated evaluation of the strategies’ effectiveness, efficiency and fairness.

Reflect on personal values, perspectives & capabilities, and the roles each individual wants to play to address climate change.

Transferable (key) skills

Learners will develop and learn to identify and reflect upon their own strengths in an interdisciplinary framework, equipping them with the flexibility and agility required to navigate a broad array of roles.

In concurrence with the Learning Objectives listed above, learners will be supported to identify their strengths and weaknesses and to further develop a wide range of skills, guided by the Leeds Skills Matrix. The Matrix focuses on six key areas:

“Academic Skills” including critical thinking, quantitative and text-based research methods, referencing and communication of complex ideas to different audiences;

“Sustainability Skills” guided by UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development competencies which emphasise the importance of understanding the needs of others, developing inclusive and equitable solutions, analysing complex systems, questioning the status quo and persuasively communicating alternatives;

“Work Ready Skills” including problem-solving, written and oral presentation skills, teamwork and adaptability;

“Digital Skills” including creativity, communication, collaboration, critical evaluation;

“Enterprise Skills” including recognising opportunities and coping with risk and uncertainty; and, finally;

“Technical Skills” including data collection, analysis and dissemination.



As this programme welcomes learners from a range of academic backgrounds, there will be opportunities for each individual to deepen and broaden their technical skills in line with their interests. For example, students from a non-science background will be supported to understand on a fundamental level the physical interactions across the natural world, generate scientific (e.g. environmental and meteorological) data and assess the information held within the data robustly, also drawing from numerical model output and communicate it effectively to a range of audiences. On the other hand, those from a science background will be supported to understand climate change as an inherently social challenge, assess and interpret scientific data in greater depth, recognise the broader socio-political context in which the data has been produced and the influence this has on societal responses to climate change, and also to communicate the information effectively to a range of audiences.

Each of these skills will be developed through learners’ deep engagement with detailed scientific case studies, which will also provide a wealth of information about cutting edge environmental and social challenges and solutions relating to the climate crisis.

Assessment

Students will be assessed formatively and summatively using a broad range of methods.

Each assessment has been carefully designed to provide learners with diverse opportunities to develop and demonstrate key transferrable skills that will prepare them for their future lives and careers, whilst gaining deeper insights into the topics being discussed in each module. The assessments across the programme draw upon knowledge and methodologies from multiple disciplines and so will require students to synthesise and translate evidence from a variety of sources. For example, within the module on Climate Risk, students will be asked to produce a risk analysis of a climate-related topic of their choice before critically reflecting on their analysis. This will include drawing from numerical climate model output, observational data, and the social sciences of communication to produce an infographic to summarise and convey a complex scientific principle to their intended audience. This not only increases learners’ capacity to perform an “authentic” task which is commonly found in the workplace (e.g. a rapid review or briefing note), but also to hone their transferrable skills of critical thinking and reflection.

Assessments will include flexibility to allow learners to adapt the work to their strengths and personal development aspirations, providing choice in assignment content and style while keeping the assignment goals meaningful and relevant to their future careers. The transdisciplinarity aims of the course implies flexibility in teaching content. Student choice for assessment content and delivery style culminates in the Capstone Project, which will be flexible format and enables students to pursue topics relating to personal interests as well as employer demand.

There is a strong emphasis on developing team working and collaboration skills, reflecting feedback received from potential employers. This will be supported through specific training (e.g. Peer Assisted Study/Learning; ‘PASS’/’PAL’) to establish best teamwork practice (e.g. mutual respect, compassionate group work, leadership) early in the course so that learners are well positioned to complete their module team assessments, all culminating in the capstone team output. Fair assessment will be ensured by assessing individual submissions of contributions to teamwork, and will include peer-assessment. When individuals are required to re-sit a team assignment, this will take the form of individual submissions, often reflective, which directly relate to the original objectives and format of the teamwork and where demonstration of collaboration skills is explicit in the assessment rubric.